Title: Alphabet Walk
Summary: 25 times he stands up, 26 times he falls
Word Count: 1, 238
.
.
.
g.
The smell of burning flesh hit his nose and clung into the air as the dark smoke from the pit ascended to the heavens. The Cleaners were heaving body after body and throwing them into the pit without abandon. Empty eyes fixed on the burning bodies, clipboards held tightly against their chests as they inquired with one another how many they have to chuck before they can call it a day.
Levi winced and walked away from the pit, growing annoyed and disgusted with the ritual. He needed a bath, and he needed to wash his clothes thrice today to get the scent off.
He hated their job and was glad he was killing titans, herding men instead of cleaning up the mess they made. No matter how much he adored scrubbing and polishing the headquarters, he would never dream of cleaning the way they do. Other than that, the Cleaners have a strange aura around them: grim, cold and unpleasant. Coupled with the stench of blood, guts, death, and titan saliva clinging to their body and taking the oxygen with them as they made rounds in a district, sometimes he feels sick and trapped.
That's why he was so sure to kill a person named Nanaba for asking him to take his place in aiding the Cleaners together with his squad. His squad didn't look happy either, especially Petra who'd throw up every time Erd asks her to help him identify a mangled corpse on the ground.
Normally, he would tell them to suck it up and do whatever was commanded, but he let it slip this time. He didn't like this job and to be fair, he won't ask his squad to do something he doesn't want to do as well.
He was about to bark some orders to his men when they heard a commotion on the other side of the street. The crowd suddenly stopped and searched for the ruckus. There was a loud wail that he was familiar with and he pinched his nose.
"Heichou, is that—"
"Yes, Petra. It's her. I think that is obvious."
"NO! NO! You can't do this to me! You can't throw him into the pit as well! he is coated with mucus, it would be helpful to the Legion for future excursions!" He watched one of the Cleaners try to get her off the body and sighed, this would reflect badly on the Legion again. "Moblit, what are you doing there? Help me, you idiot!"
"Hancho—Just let him go."
"No, I won't let him go. I said, 'I won't'! Can't you understand a word I'm saying?" She spat at the Cleaner. He didn't let go and Levi was amused. Maybe he should recruit him in the Legion to annoy Hanji.
"Wait," he heard Petra breathe out, "is that—"
4th squad. Lieutenant Strong. Brown hair. Warm smile. Scent of pine and dew. A wife. Two kids. Seven years in the Legion.
"No wonder she wouldn't let go." Auruo grumbled. "Should we help her, Heichou?"
He snorted. "Let the idiot fight her own battle and it's protocol. She should know that and understand that."
"Madame," the Cleaner finally spoke. "It's protocol—"
"Screw the protocol!"
Levi saw Moblit scan the crowd and their eyes locked.
Damn.
He sighed and made his way to the center of attention. "Let's get this over with." Once he was near enough, he mouthed to Moblit "You owe me", before snatching Hanji's hair and pulling her away. She screeched and clawed at him to his annoyance.
"Stop making a commotion."
"He's one of us, Levi! He's one of us and you just let him—"
"Yes. Just like the rest of them who died before him. I let them take them away because it's protocol."
"He has a family!"
"They all have one. What's your point?"
"He deserves a proper burial not get thrown in that pit to be grilled! He—"
"Fourth-squad leader Hanji Zoe, I command you to shut the fuck up before I throw you in the pit with them. It's not a request, four-eyes." He hissed, pulling her hair savagely. "It's an order and if you don't follow I'll make sure to treat you just like I treat everyone else who disobeys my orders. Don't think that because you are chummy with me you can get away with this. You're a soldier. Act like one."
She stared at him with defiance before she conceded, slumping on the ground beside Petra who began to placate her like a mother.
"Stop baby-ing her, Petra."
Hanji glowered at him and muttered something about him being unable to feel anything at all.
He ignored her and turned to Erd and Gunter who were goofing off and narrowed his eyes at them. "Get back to work." Hearing Auruo's snickers, he turned to him, "You, too. And you." Petra frowned and walked towards her friends, making sure to stay away from the dead bodies.
Moblit was standing behind Hanji, like a puppy loyal to its master.
He rolled his eyes, "Go do your job, Moblit. I'll handle this prissy bitch."
"I'll go with you," Hanji offered, jumping to her feet. Quickly, he yanked her back.
"Are you disobeying me, Hanji Zoe?"
"I'm just doing my job."
"You're not allowed to move. Stay put and wait for this to end. I can't have you creating another commotion. Irvin will have my head."
"Fine."
"Good."
Another body was heaped into the pit, fueling the blazing flames. "Funny," he heard her say. He didn't acknowledge her and continued to watch the new person burn. "how they spent their lives saving humanity and be treated like this when they die. Like what they did didn't matter. Like they didn't matter at all.
"Tomorrow, Irvin will read the list of the fallen and send letters to their loved ones. The day after tomorrow, we'll mourn in the morning and continue doing our business in the afternoon. Next week, we'll discuss how many we need to recruit. The week after that we won't even remember them. We wouldn't be able to recall their little quirks, their odd rituals, their face, their voice—and then we don't know them anymore. Like strangers we pass in the districts we'll forget the moment we turn back.
"Soon we'll be like that," she murmurs. "like them. Gone, forgotten."
"Highly unlikely."
"Levi, you're mortal. You'll die. Just like them. In the end you'll leave me—us. Just like Lee Xandoc, like Ash Went, like Rich Strong—"
"I'll stay."
He felt her penetrating gaze and felt his face grow hot. It was due to embarrassment, he was sure of it and anger towards himself for saying something out of character. Levi hoped that whatever he just said didn't mean anything foolish in her book. She had the tendency to blow things out of proportion and assume things and he'd rather not deal with her stubbornness.
When she didn't speak, he turned to look at her. She was standing beside him, sad eyes fixed on the dancing flames with fascination. He was about to comment on her strangeness when he felt her finger—her pinky finger—brush against his. He jerked his hand away but she was faster.
Her pinky was entwined with his. He stared at her in confusion wondering why—
"I'll stay, too."
She squeezed his pinky finger and released it.
"I promise."
.
.
.
Author's note: The seventh. Hope you liked it!
